learning - Academic Conferences Limited

Maria-Jesus Martinez-Argüelles et al.
Agents that take part in the feedback processes: One of the elements inherent to feedback are
the members that take part of its processes. This research has been developed by using a
technological platform that integrates among others two applications that make it possible to
provide the student with feedback. The first one is the continuous evaluation registry (RAC, for its
acronym in Catalan), a space in the virtual classroom where the teacher inserts the marks of the
continuous evaluation and facilitates the personalized feedback (which is sent to a private space
only shared by teacher and learner). The second one is the calendar and it can be found in the
planning space of the virtual classroom. There, the student can accede to the solutions of the
continuous evaluation tests (PAC), prepared by the teacher and published one day after the
students have submitted their solutions.
Space of virtual communication where the feedback processes take place: Another component is
the virtual space where the feedback takes place, be it public or private. In this study we analyse
the effects of feedback in a private space (from now on personalized feedback). Authors such as
[Rice et al., 1994] have proved that personalized feedback (private spaces) has advantages over
feedback in public spaces because it fits better to the needs and characteristics of each student.
Moment of feedback: To provide immediate or differed feedback has been the object of
discussion in several researches on this issue. It is remarkable the proposal made by [Dempsey
et al., 1988], that define some categories used in this work. The first one is immediate feedback (it
provides the student with information on the correct answer) and in this context it corresponds to
the PACs' solutions, published just one day after the students submit their answers. The second
one is differed feedback (where the errors made are commented on, some contents are
recommended as well as strategies to improve the process of learning), that gives added value to
the solution of the PAC.
Extension and form of the feedback: Another special feature of feedback in a virtual environment
is its extension. It is tightly linked to the semantic dimension of feedback and to the kind of
knowledge on which the feedback is given (depending on whether it is more abstract or
conceptual or more applied and procedural). In order for the feedback to be effective it must give
enough information to university students so as for them to attain the aims of learning previewed.
The feedback can have different shapes: text and/or technological multimedia (audio and video
recordings, screenshots with audio as well as the possibility to upload compressed videos). The
student receives it in the RAC as an attached file or in the message itself.
Following Narciss and her collaborators [Narciss 2004, 2008], [Narciss et al., 2004a, 2004b, 2006], in
this article we also state that there are other dimensions apart from the semantic and the structural
dimension with influence on the feedback processes, as in the case of the pedagogical design.
Following we explain the pedagogical framework in which this study has been carried out.
2.1 Pedagogical design
One of the defining aspects of this work is the context in which it is carried out. It is an eLearning
environment where the process of teaching and learning is conveyed through a technological
platform. This work studies the case of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). This university
was created in 1995 and from the very beginning has developed its activities in a virtual campus. In
the UOC's model of education, the agents of the educative activity do not share the same space and
time coordinates. This flexibility that involves that both the student and the teacher enjoy the learning
environment from any space and moment (asynchronous communication) needs the educative
activity to be based upon communication exchanges between both of them.
The UOC's pedagogical model puts the student in the centre of the teaching and learning process
(student centred learning, SCL) carried out in a virtual classroom. This virtual classroom has four
different areas: planning, communication, resources and evaluation. The evaluation area gathers all
aspects related to the evaluation process of a given subject. This study is focused in one of the
spaces of the evaluation area: the Continuous Evaluation Registry (RAC for its acronym in Catalan)
that is where the personalized feedbacks take place. This personalized feedback consists of
introducing marks by the teacher, and/or personalized inputs (sub-dimension 1, error identification
and correction, and sub-dimension 3, task improvement). Despite the fact that sub-dimension 2 is not
directly dealt with from the RAC (nor it is a direct part of the feedback), some guiding solutions to
evaluated activities are given once the submission term is over. Furthermore, when necessary, part of
the feedback uses the solutions as a support.
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